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EuroSTAR Conference

Europe's Largest Quality Engineering Conference

Deep Dive DD2

Negotiation Skills for Software Testers

Mark Micallef

15:00 - 16:45 CEST Wednesday 4th June

Negotiation is a critical yet underutilized skill in software testing. Testers often face situations where they must advocate for quality, time, and resources, all while balancing the needs and demands of various stakeholders.

This deep-dive session explores how mastering negotiation techniques can elevate a tester’s effectiveness, enabling them to influence decisions, align on priorities, and mitigate risks in high-pressure environments.

Drawing from principles of negotiation theory found in seminal books such as Negotiation Genius by Deepak Malhotra and Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, this session will introduce testers to negotiation frameworks that can be applied in real-world scenarios.

We will cover strategies to help testers handle common challenges such as negotiating testing timelines, resolving conflicts with developers over bug severity, and advocating for proper test coverage despite tight deadlines. Participants will learn how to prepare for negotiations, create win-win situations, and use tactical empathy to build rapport and uncover the true needs of stakeholders.

The session will feature interactive role-play scenarios where participants will engage in mock negotiations, applying techniques such as mirroring, labeling, and framing to influence outcomes.

By the end, attendees will have a solid understanding of how to use negotiation not only to advocate for quality but also to foster stronger collaboration within teams.

Whether you’re a tester, QA lead, or manager, this session will equip you with practical tools and insights to navigate the complexities of software testing through effective negotiation, ultimately improving project outcomes and team dynamics.

What you will learn

  1. Learn practical negotiation strategies to advocate for testing quality, timelines, and resources.
  2. Discover how tactical empathy and active listening can improve collaboration with developers, managers, and stakeholders.
  3. Gain hands-on experience through interactive scenarios, building confidence in applying negotiation skills to everyday testing challenges.

Session Details

  • Introductory
  • 90 minutes
  • Focused Deep Dive
  • Developing and nurturing essential soft skills
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Check out this video from Mark Micallef to hear more about his talk, ‘Negotiation Skills for Software Testers.’

We look forward to welcoming you to EuroSTAR 2025.

Session Speaker

Headshot of EuroSTAR 2024 speaker Mark Micallef

Mark Micallef

University of Malta, Malta

Mark is a software testing researcher, lecturer and occasional practitioner. Whilst in his role as an Associate Professor at the University of Malta, his day job is focused mostly on academic aspects of the field, Mark has worked and consulted for companies internationally, spoken at industry conferences such as the Google Test Automation conferences and has a doctorate in software engineering.

Today, Mark spends most of his time looking into open problems in software testing with a particular focus on the human tester.

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